Double-Sided, Single Conductor Laminated Substrate

ABSTRACT

A method for manufacturing a double-sided, single conductor laminate includes providing a laminated substrate that includes a conductive layer, an adhesive layer and a support layer; dry milling a trace pattern in the laminated substrate by removing selected areas of the conductive layer and the adhesive layer; and attaching a first cover layer using a first adhesive layer to the conductive layer. The first cover layer includes one or more precut access holes that align with one or more traces of the trace pattern.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/580,193 filed on Sep. 24, 2019. The entire disclosure of theapplication referenced above is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to laminated substrates, and moreparticularly to laminated substrates including a single conductor layerthat is dry milled to define trace patterns and that provides access tothe conductive layer from both sides.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided here is for the purpose of generallypresenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently namedinventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, aswell as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify asprior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedlyadmitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

As electronic systems in vehicles become increasingly complex, anincreasing number of devices need to be connected together. In mostvehicles, complex wiring harnesses with individual wires are used. Thewiring harnesses are prone to failures and are difficult to manufacture.

SUMMARY

A method for manufacturing a double-sided, single conductor laminateincludes providing a laminated substrate that includes a conductivelayer, an adhesive layer and a support layer; dry milling a tracepattern in the laminated substrate by removing selected areas of theconductive layer and the adhesive layer; and attaching a first coverlayer using a first adhesive layer to the conductive layer. The firstcover layer includes one or more precut access holes that align with oneor more traces of the trace pattern.

In other features, the first cover layer further includes a secondadhesive layer on a side thereof opposite to the first adhesive layer.The method includes removing the support layer.

In other features, the method includes thinning the conductive layerusing dry milling.

The method includes attaching a second cover layer with a third adhesivelayer to the conductive layer. The second cover layer includes a fourthadhesive layer on a side thereof opposite to the third adhesive layer.

In other features, the method includes spraying adhesive layers ontoouter surfaces of the laminated substrate. The conductive layercomprises a material selected from a group consisting of copper andaluminum. The support layer comprises a material selected from a groupconsisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate(PEN), or polyimide (PI). The laminated substrate comprises a continuousweb.

A method for manufacturing a double-sided, single conductor laminateincludes providing a laminated substrate that includes a conductivelayer, an adhesive layer and a support layer; dry milling a tracepattern in the laminated substrate by removing selected areas of theconductive layer and the adhesive layer; and attaching a first coverlayer using a first adhesive layer to the conductive layer. The firstcover layer includes one or more precut access holes.

In other features, the first cover layer further includes a secondadhesive layer on a side thereof to the first adhesive layer. The methodincludes creating one or more access holes in the support layer toaccess one or more traces defined by the conductive layer. Creating theaccess holes includes dry milling the access holes. Creating the accessholes includes fly cutting the access holes. Creating the access holesincludes laser ablating the access holes.

In other features, the method includes spraying adhesive layers ontoouter surfaces of the laminated substrate. The conductive layercomprises a material selected from a group consisting of copper andaluminum. The support layer comprises a material selected from a groupconsisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate(PEN), or polyimide (PI). The laminated substrate comprises a continuousweb.

A double-sided, single conductor laminate includes a conductive layerincluding a trace pattern including a plurality of traces. A first coverlayer includes one or more access holes to access one or more of theplurality of traces. A first adhesive layer attaches the first coverlayer to one side of the conductive layer. A second cover layer includesaccess holes to access one or more of the plurality of traces. A secondadhesive layer attaches the second cover layer to an opposite side ofthe conductive layer.

In other features, the first cover layer further includes a thirdadhesive layer on an opposite side thereof. The second cover layerincludes a fourth adhesive layer on an opposite side thereof. Theconductive layer comprises a material selected form a group consistingof copper and aluminum.

A double-sided, single conductor laminate includes a conductive layerincluding a trace pattern including a plurality of traces. A first coverlayer includes one or more access holes to access one or more of theplurality of traces. A first adhesive layer attaches the first coverlayer to the conductive layer. A support layer includes one or moreaccess holes to access one or more of the plurality of traces. A secondadhesive layer attaches the support layer to the conductive layer.

In other features, the first cover layer further includes a thirdadhesive layer on a side thereof opposite to the first adhesive layer.The support layer includes a fourth adhesive layer on a side thereofopposite to the third adhesive layer. The conductive layer comprises amaterial selected from a group consisting of copper and aluminum. Thesupport layer comprises a material selected from a group consisting ofpolyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), orpolyimide (PI).

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. Thedetailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure will become more fully understood from thedetailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view of an example of a laminatedsubstrate including a conductive layer, an adhesive layer and a supportlayer according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the laminatedsubstrate of FIG. 1 with dry milled, conductive traces defined from atop surface thereof according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B illustrates an example of a trace pattern that is dry milled inthe conductive layer of the laminated substrate;

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the laminatedsubstrate of FIG. 2A with a cover layer including pre-cut access holesattached to a top surface thereof according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4A is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the laminatedsubstrate of FIG. 3 with the support layer and the adhesive layerremoved according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the laminatedsubstrate of FIG. 3 with the support layer and the adhesive layerremoved and a thickness of the conductive layer dry milled according tothe present disclosure;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are side cross-sectional views of examples of thelaminated substrates of FIGS. 4A and 4B, respectively, with a coverlayer attached to the bottom surface thereof according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the laminatedsubstrates of FIG. 5A with adhesive layers on outer surfaces thereofaccording to the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an example of a method for fabricating thelaminated substrate of FIGS. 1 to 6B according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view of an example of a laminatedsubstrate including a conductive layer, an adhesive layer and a supportlayer according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the laminatedsubstrate of FIG. 8 with dry milled traces defined in the conductivelayer from a top surface thereof according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the laminatedsubstrate of FIG. 9 with an adhesive layer and a cover layer withpre-cut access holes attached to a top surface thereof according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of an example of the laminatedsubstrate of FIG. 10 with access holes fly cut or dry milled into thesupport layer according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a side cross-sectional view of the laminated substrate ofFIG. 11 with adhesive layers on outer surfaces thereof; and

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of an example of a method for fabricating thelaminated substrate of FIGS. 8 to 12 according to the presentdisclosure.

In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similarand/or identical elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to double-sided, single conductorlaminates and methods of manufacturing the double-sided, singleconductor laminates. As will be described further below, thedouble-sided, single conductor laminates include trace patterns in aconductive layer and allow connections to be made to both sides of theconductive layer.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, a laminated substrate 50 is shown. Thelaminated substrate 50 includes a conductive layer 52 attached by anadhesive layer 54 to a support layer 58. In some examples, the supportlayer 58 is a flexible layer. In some examples, the support layerincludes polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate(PEN), or polyimide (PI) layer, although other types of support layerscan be used. In some examples, the conductive layer 52 includes copper,aluminum or other conductive material.

In FIG. 2A, the conductive layer 52 of the laminated substrate 50 ofFIG. 1 is dry milled to define one or more trace patterns from a topsurface thereof. In other words, material of the conductive layer isremoved at 60 between traces of the trace patterns to electricallyisolate the respective traces of the trace pattern. In some locations,portions of the conductive layer 52 and/or the adhesive layer 54 on oneside are removed (e.g. at 60) using the dry milling process to createthe trace patterns.

A suitable example of a dry milling process is shown and described inU.S. Pat. No. 7,919,027, issued on Apr. 5, 2011 and entitled “Methodsand Devices for Manufacturing of Electrical Components and LaminatedStructures”, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

During dry milling, a web of the laminated structure 50 is fed between amilling wheel and a cliché. The cliché includes a pattern with raisedand non-raised portions. The raised portions of the pattern push thelaminated structure into the milling wheel in regions adjacent to theraised portions. The non-raised portions are not milled. The on-raisedportions of the pattern define the traces in the conductive layer. Theraised portions of the pattern define regions between the traces wherethe conductive layer is removed.

In FIG. 2B, the laminate substrate 50 is shown as a continuous web 62. Atrace pattern 64 includes a plurality of traces 65 with removed portions60 located therebetween to electrically isolate the plurality of traces65. The trace pattern 64 can be repeated lengthwise or laterally on thecontinuous web 62.

In FIG. 3, a cover layer 74 and an adhesive layer 70 including one ormore pre-cut access holes 80 are aligned to the laminated structure orweb and attached to a top surface of the laminated substrate 50. In someexamples, the access holes 80 are aligned with the traces. The coverlayer 74 can include single-sided adhesive (as shown in FIG. 4A) ordouble-sided adhesive (as shown by adhesive layer 78 in FIG. 4B).

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, additional processing of the laminatesubstrate 50 is shown. In FIG. 4A, the adhesive layer 54 and the supportlayer 58 are removed. In FIG. 4B, the adhesive layer 54 and the supportlayer 58 are removed and a portion of a thickness of the conductivelayer 52 is also removed using dry milling to create a thinnedconductive layer 52′.

Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, a cover layer 94 including one or moreprecut access holes 95 is aligned and attached to the conductive layer52 or the thinned conductive layer 52′. In some examples, the accessholes 95 are aligned with the traces. In FIG. 5A, the cover layer 94 isaligned and attached by an adhesive layer 90 to the bottom surface ofthe conductive layer 52. In FIG. 5B, the cover layer 94 is aligned andattached by an adhesive layer 90 to the bottom surface of the thinnedconductive layer 52′. The cover layer 94 can include single-sidedadhesive (as shown in FIG. 4A) or double-sided adhesive (as shown byadhesive layer 96 in FIG. 4B).

Referring now to FIG. 6, if single-sided cover layers 74 and 94 areused, adhesive layers 98 and 100 can be sprayed or coated onto outersurfaces of the cover layers 74 and 94.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a method 150 for fabricating the laminatedsubstrate of FIGS. 1 to 6 according. At 154, a laminated substrate isprovided and includes a conductive layer, an adhesive layer and asupport layer. At 158, dry milling is used to create trace patterns byremoving selected areas of the conductive layer and the adhesive layer.

At 162, a first cover layer with single or double-sided adhesive isaligned and attached to the conductive layer. The first cover layer mayinclude one or more precut access holes. At 164, the support layer isremoved and the conductive layer is optionally thinned using drymilling.

At 168, a second cover layer is aligned and attached to the conductivelayer with a single or double-cited adhesive layer. At 176, adhesive isoptionally sprayed or coated onto one or both surfaces of the laminatedsubstrate. For example, the adhesive can be sprayed or coated onto oneor both surfaces of the laminated substrate if double-sided adhesive isnot used.

Referring now to FIGS. 8-10, a laminated substrate 250 is shown. Thelaminated substrate 250 includes a conductive layer 252 attached by anadhesive layer 254 to a support layer 258. In some examples, the supportlayer 258 is a flexible layer. In some examples, the support layerincludes polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate(PEN), or polyimide (PI) layer, although other types of support layerscan be used. In some examples, the conductive layer 52 includes copper,aluminum or other conductive material.

In FIG. 9, the conductive layer 252 of the laminated substrate 250 ofFIG. 8 is dry milled to define one or more trace patterns. In somelocations, portions of the conductive layer 252 and/or the adhesivelayer 254 on one side are removed (e.g. at 260) using the dry millingprocess to define the trace patterns.

In FIG. 10, a cover layer 274 and an adhesive layer 272 are aligned andattached to a top surface of the laminated substrate 250. The coverlayer 274 can include pre-cut access holes 280. The cover layer 274 caninclude single-sided adhesive (as shown in FIG. 9) or double-sidedadhesive as shown above.

Referring now to FIG. 11, one or more access holes 286 are created inthe support layer 258 to allow bottom-side access to the trace patterns.In some examples, the one or more access holes 286 are fly cut, clichécut, chemically etched and/or laser ablated. In some examples, acombination of these approaches can be used.

Referring now to FIG. 12, one or more adhesive layers 296 and 298 can besprayed onto outer surfaces of the laminated structure 250. For example,the adhesive layers 296 and 298 can be sprayed onto the outer surfacesof the laminated structure 250 when the cover layer includessingle-sided adhesive rather than double-sided adhesive.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a method 350 for fabricating the laminatedsubstrate of FIGS. 8 to 12 is shown. At 354, a laminated substrate isprovided and includes a conductive layer, an adhesive layer and asupport layer. At 358, dry milling is used to create trace patterns byremoving selected areas of the conductive layer and the adhesive layer.

At 362, a cover layer is aligned and attached to the conductive layerwith single or double-sided adhesive. The cover layer may include one ormore precut access holes. At 364, access holes are cut into the supportlayer using fly cutting, dry milling, chemical etching and/or laserablation. At 376, adhesive is optionally sprayed onto one or bothsurfaces of the laminated substrate. For example, the adhesive can besprayed onto one or both surfaces of the laminated substrate ifdouble-sided adhesive is not used.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. It should be understood thatone or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (orconcurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Further, although each of the embodiments is described above as havingcertain features, any one or more of those features described withrespect to any embodiment of the disclosure can be implemented in and/orcombined with features of any of the other embodiments, even if thatcombination is not explicitly described. In other words, the describedembodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or moreembodiments with one another remain within the scope of this disclosure.

Spatial and functional relationships between elements (for example,between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) aredescribed using various terms, including “connected,” “engaged,”“coupled,” “adjacent,” “next to,” “on top of,” “above,” “below,” and“disposed.” Unless explicitly described as being “direct,” when arelationship between first and second elements is described in the abovedisclosure, that relationship can be a direct relationship where noother intervening elements are present between the first and secondelements, but can also be an indirect relationship where one or moreintervening elements are present (either spatially or functionally)between the first and second elements. As used herein, the phrase atleast one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A OR BOR C), using a non-exclusive logical OR, and should not be construed tomean “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for manufacturing a double-sided, singleconductor laminate, comprising: providing a laminated substrate thatincludes a conductive layer, an adhesive layer and a support layer; drymilling a trace pattern in the laminated substrate by removing selectedareas of the conductive layer and the adhesive layer; and attaching afirst cover layer using a first adhesive layer to the conductive layer,wherein the first cover layer includes one or more precut access holesthat align with one or more traces of the trace pattern.
 2. The methodof claim 1, wherein the first cover layer further includes a secondadhesive layer on a side thereof opposite to the first adhesive layer.3. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the support layer.4. The method of claim 3, further comprising thinning the conductivelayer using dry milling.
 5. The method of claim 3, further comprisingattaching a second cover layer with a third adhesive layer to theconductive layer.
 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second coverlayer includes a fourth adhesive layer on a side thereof opposite to thethird adhesive layer.
 7. The method of claim 5, further comprisingspraying adhesive layers onto outer surfaces of the laminated substrate.9. The method of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises amaterial selected from a group consisting of copper and aluminum. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the support layer comprises a materialselected from a group consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET),polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), or polyimide (PI).
 11. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the laminated substrate comprises a continuous web. 12.A method for manufacturing a double-sided, single conductor laminate,comprising: providing a laminated substrate that includes a conductivelayer, an adhesive layer and a support layer; dry milling a tracepattern in the laminated substrate by removing selected areas of theconductive layer and the adhesive layer; and attaching a first coverlayer using a first adhesive layer to the conductive layer, wherein thefirst cover layer includes one or more precut access holes.
 13. Themethod of claim 12, wherein the first cover layer further includes asecond adhesive layer on a side thereof to the first adhesive layer. 14.The method of claim 12, further comprising creating one or more accessholes in the support layer to access one or more traces defined by theconductive layer.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein creating theaccess holes includes dry milling the access holes.
 16. The method ofclaim 14, wherein creating the access holes includes fly cutting theaccess holes.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein creating the accessholes includes laser ablating the access holes.
 18. The method of claim11, further comprising spraying adhesive layers onto outer surfaces ofthe laminated substrate.
 19. The method of claim 11, wherein theconductive layer comprises a material selected from a group consistingof copper and aluminum.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the supportlayer comprises a material selected from a group consisting ofpolyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), orpolyimide (PI).
 21. The method of claim 11, wherein the laminatedsubstrate comprises a continuous web.